Happy October! Welcome to a new Carrot Ranch #DoubleEnnead monthly poetry challenge. Every third Monday of the month, I’ll be here at the Saloon with another challenge to help get your poetic juices flowing. Each month, we will explore a different theme or image to inspire our poetry. Take your time, there’s no hurry! You have an entire month to write your poem.
HINT: You can find this post again by typing double ennead challenge in the search box to the right of the Carrot Ranch banner. That will bring up the most recent challenge post. ❤
Check out the poems from last month HERE
The word Ennead means nine, and a double nine is ninety-nine! Carrot Ranch is famous for 99-word flash fiction. Now, the ranch has its own syllabic poetry form written in 99 syllables!
The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99 SYLLABLES, NO MORE, NO LESS! Punctuation and rhyme schemes are optional and up to the poet.
We’ve been writing 99 syllable poetry for a few months now. Explore your own 99 syllable structure. In other words, you don’t have to abide by the syllable structure above. Just make sure that your poem comes out to 99 syllables! Have fun and experiment. I did!
October is my favorite month of the year! Halloween is just around the corner. As a child, I loved this holiday and still do today. I think the attraction was the opportunity to switch identities for one night a year. At Halloween, you could be anything you wanted simply by changing your appearance.
If you could assume any form or persona, what would you choose?
What is a Persona Poem?
Scott Sigil shares his definition: “A persona poem is a poem written in first person from the perspective of someone or something other than yourself. When writing a persona poem, the poet embodies a figure from history, or a fictional character, or even an inanimate object, and writes imagining what that person or thing might say if they had the chance to write a poem.” (Persona Poems by Scott Sigil)
Let’s celebrate Halloween together by writing a persona poem in the style of a double ennead. Be creative! Let your imagination run wild! Have fun!
My example follows:
"A Wise Woman's Companion" the veil thins when dusk falls Samhain spirits rise now, the purveyors of death walk among us... maybe crones in disguise? black magic lives on they burned us at the stake not believing our truths, only lies bad luck, or animal-shaped spies? my coal-black color determined my death my reputation's ruined by superstitions, ancient mythologies, and false statements... My one redeeming feature— black cats have nine lives! © Colleen M. Chesebro
This month, write a double ennead poem where you assume a persona. It can be Halloween related, or not. Remember, your poem must have 99 syllables in total. Have fun!
- Post your poem on your blog or in the comments if you don’t have a blog by Friday, November 12, 2021.
- Include a link back to this challenge in your post. (copy the https:// address of this post into your post).
- Read and comment on your fellow poet’s work. Feedback from other poets is how we grow our poetry writing craft.
- Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.
- I’ll visit, comment, and share your poetry on social media!
Chloe & Sophie assert that no black cats were harmed in the creation of this poem!
Now have fun and write some double ennead poetry!
This is a splendid challenge. It’s time for me to stop being lazy and give this a go. I have my idea already.
That’s wonderful, Robbie. Have fun with your persona. 🧡🎃🧡
[…] https://carrotranch.com/2021/10/18/saddle-up-saloon-colleens-doubleennead-challenge-no-9/, https://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/2021/10/01/october-2021-writing-prompts/, […]
thanks for the challenge, Colleen 🙂
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2021/10/18/it-appeared-that-the-tree-held-all-the-answers/
You’re welcome, Lady Lee. 🧡🎃🧡
[…] Let’s celebrate Halloween writing poetry! Join me at the Saloon on Carrot Ranch where I’m sponsoring the double ennead (99 syllable) poetry challenge! This month we’re writing persona poetry. Check it out HERE. […]
Reblogged this on Colleen M. Chesebro and commented:
Come celebrate Halloween at the Saloon on carrotranch.com! Let’s write 99 syllable poetry together!
[…] A 6-5-11-6-5 double enniad–“The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99”–prompt over at Carrot Ranch. […]
Rebecca Nurse (the first – I think – and eldest woman) to be burned is an ancestor of mine. Either a 9th great grandmother or a 10th great aunt.
Wow! I read they burned their cats with the suspected witches. That’s where I found that mythology about black cats. More witches were drowned than burned which is fascinating as well. <3
I looked her up. (My 9th great grandmother.)
I’ll have to look at that! my daughter has a beautiful black cat.
Ohhh! My Sophie is black with some tan markings. She’s a dark tortoiseshell. 🎃🐈⬛
ohhh my daughter has a tortoise shell too, and one lives next door to us! 🥰
I love their personalities. They’re always different. 😍
🧡
What a fun challenge for October.
It’s fun, isn’t it? I like working with personas and characters. It’s another great writing tool. 😍❤️
[…] CR Colleen’s Poetry Challenge We’ve been writing 99 syllable poetry for a few months now. Explore your own 99 syllable structure. In other words, you don’t have to abide by the syllable structure above. Just make sure that your poem comes out to 99 syllables! …A persona poem is a poem written in first person from the perspective of someone or something other than yourself. When writing a persona poem, the poet embodies a figure from history, or a fictional character, or even an inanimate object, and writes imagining what that person or thing might say if they had the chance to write a poem.” I wrote a persona haibun about an ‘individual’ echo. […]
OK… not a Double Ennead… and the second of a two part piece –
But it is 99 syllables!
For the whole she bang…Receding Confidence I & II
Receding Confidence II (in 99 syllables)
Diminishing copycat, bent on disappearing
Losing voice with each dropping petal
the refrain weakens
the will struggling to fulfill expectations
trapped in societal bonds,
like pages in a closed book
on a high shelf,
forever unread
‘will’ only so strong
soul sits alone
attempts one last shout
as a worthy advisory; the cry just fades away…
false partner
underrated soul
sham Echo
© JP/dh
Note: “Echo, in Greek mythology, a mountain nymph, or oread. … To punish Echo, Hera deprived her of speech, except for the ability to repeat the last words of another. Echo’s hopeless love for Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image, made her fade away until all that was left of her was her voice.”
99 syllables works and this is fabulous, Jules. I love the Greek mythology! <3
Black cats get such a bad rap! honestly! the only downside to a black fur-baby (dog/cat) is darkness – as in, you lose them in the darkness – which maybe they enjoy, but I can say, isn’t too much fun! 😂 oh well, all hail and praise for the Black Cats!
Wonderful new challenge Colleen – thanks for hosting, and for the new ideas stirring up in the cauldron – I like your double ennead – it’s fun but interesting for the hinted history. Witches always get a bad rap too. Shame really, others’ closed/narrow minds.
Thanks, Wild Child. I love writing flash fiction and just like syllabic poetry it’s all about the brevity. It’s great fun and I’ve gotten to know many of the fine writers over here at Carrot Ranch in the last seven years. The double ennead was the poetic version (99-syllables) of the 99 word flash fiction Charli Mills is famous for. It’s great fun. I’m glad to see you here… and Yes! We witches and black cats get a bad rap! I’ll never understand it. LOL! <3
I’m familiar with CR – long, long ago, I played the 99 flash 🙂 And you’re quite right – lots of fine writers in the stables/fields here. Always something interesting kicking up in the dust 😉
Well I suppose I shall keep testing my syllables in the poet’s version, always up for a challenge, and since it’s one that offers ample time, it’s a good thing 🙂
Excellent! I’m all for challenges that give us practice to perfect our Craft. 🧡
😁😉😂
[…] written for Saddle-up Saloon, Double Ennead Challenge #9 : topic: “persona poems” optional theme: All Hallows […]
okay, so I went a bit bonkers —- ended up having more fun than I thought I might …. so it’s a bit of “read” ….
thanks again for hosting and offering us an interesting perspective – “persona poetry” … and doubling up with the possible idea of All Hallows Eve –
https://pocketpoems88.wordpress.com/2021/10/23/wild-craft-tales-double-ennead/
[…] Prompted from Saddle Up Saloon Colleen’s Double Ennead Challenge at: https://carrotranch.com/2021/10/18/saddle-up-saloon-colleens-doubleennead-challenge-no-9/. […]
Colleen, your poetic forms and added craft elements (persona, POV) are terrific practices for all writers. I’ll be back with my response. Thanks!
Have fun! This is such a great way to embrace our characters too. I can’t wait to see what you come up with, Charli. <3
[…] Colleen’s challenge this month: Let’s celebrate Halloween together by writing a persona poem in the style of a double ennead. Be creative! Let your imagination run wild! Have fun! You can find her post here: https://carrotranch.com/2021/10/18/saddle-up-saloon-colleens-doubleennead-challenge-no-9/ […]
[…] Mondays– Anyone Can Poem with Chel OwensSecond Mondays– Author’s Chair volunteerThird Monday– Double Ennead Challenge with Colleen ChesebroFourth Monday– Interviews & […]
oops. I better get busy.
Yup… it’s time to write some double ennead poetry. 🥰
ok… mine is ready to read! https://ruthscribbles.com/2021/11/12/my-take-saddle-up-saloon-colleens-double-ennead-challenge-no-9-persona-doubleennead/
[…] invites us to write a Double Ennead about a persona or form we would choose, if we could. Click HERE for the […]
You had me going with this one, Ruth! Well done. <3
[…] Follow the link to the challenge HERE […]